Merck : Backs 2019 View; Sees Profitable Growth Over Next Years

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Germany's Merck KGaA (MRK.XE) on Wednesday backed its guidance for the year and said that it also expects profitable growth in the years to come.

"For 2019, we continue to assume that the group will increase all its key figures: sales, EBITDA pre and EPS pre. We also have our sights firmly set on profitable growth for 2020 and beyond," Chief Executive Stefan Oschmann said at the pharmaceutical company's capital markets day.

Merck also said that by 2022, it targets additional annual sales of around 2 billion euros with new medicines. Its Mavenclad and Bavencio drugs are expected to contribute significantly to this, it added.

The company said it aims for maintained above-market growth in its life-science business and for its performance materials unit to resume growth as of 2020.